Vedang Raina may be young and a very newcomer to film but already has made his mark on the screen with his starring role in Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies and his most recent release Jigra which also starred Alia Bhatt.
In this interview with Subhash K Jha, Vedang Raina speaks about getting into character for Jigra, the hard scenes he had to shoot and more.
What are your feelings at the moment?
Weirdly this time I’m quite numb compared to Archies. I was definitely more nervous last time. Could either be because I’m a bit more used to or because I just haven’t registered it yet. I’ll give it a few days ha, ha.
Was it smooth-sailing shooting for Jigra?
It was the best experience being on the set of this film. It was definitely not smooth because everyday felt like a challenge. It was emotionally demanding. But I think I’ve grown the most during the shooting phase for this film, as an actor as well as a human. So it was all worth it.
How far would you go for a loved one?
Very good question. But it also doesn’t have a definitive answer. I think you only know how far you can go when you’re put in a situation that demands it. Even with Satya(Alia Bhatt) in the film, my character Ankur could’ve never understood his sister could go to such great lengths for him, but only because the situation demanded it.
How is Vasan Bala as a director?
He is so easy to work with. He is very creative on set and things change with the flow of the day, which took time to get used to but I love that process of shooting. Yes, his previous films were a bit different. There was always humour to fall back on. Jigra is still quirky in its own ways but it revolves around a strong emotional core. He’s just brilliant with everything he does though.
How involved did you become with your character’s crisis?
When I put myself through that thought process for my character, I think I understood that it’s way too easy to lose hope in a situation like that. Especially because Ankur was put in for death sentence. But I think that’s the only thing you can really have, hope. It’s where logic goes out of the window. But if you don’t have faith then nothing will happen. “Jigra o, tu na himmat haariyo”. Lyrics from a song that really stuck with me for Ankur’s character.
How do you feel now as the release is on you?
This is the first time I’m going through this experience so I think I’ll just soak it in. I’m probably too anxious to function normally. Hopefully it all goes well, fingers crossed.
As a member of the audience how does Jigra look to you?
Yes, I’m part of the film but before anything I’m an audience for cinema first. I watch a lot of films and really enjoy doing it. And as an audience, I can safely say Jigra is something special. I can’t speak for everyone, but there’s something I’ve felt about this film that I’ve never felt before and I can only hope that that emotion resonates with everyone else as well.
What can the audience expect from you?
From me, I guess you can expect an extremely earnest and truthful attempt at giving justice to the character and the film. I hope it strikes a chord with everyone. I don’t want to give too much away, but the lashing scene that you see in the trailer was definitely traumatising. I actually got hit a few times by mistake. But I’ll save that story for another day.
Would you like to pursue a career in singing side by side with your acting?
Let’s see! Haven’t given it much thought. I’ll enjoy doing it in films though.
